News Archives - 2007

Augsburg Sets the Trend in Disability Services for Students

OCTOBER 22, 2007

October is the month devoted to educating the public about learning and physical disabilities. Augsburg's Center for Learning and Adaptive Student Services (CLASS) serves as the primary service provider on campus for individuals with disabilities, with programs and accommodations for students with learning, attentional, psychiatric or other cognitive disabilities.

The CLASS office is one of a select few college services that offers disability services at no additional cost beyond regular tuition. CLASS's goal is to assist academically qualified students with disabilities reach their individual potential and access the Augsburg College experience on campus.

The CLASS office began in the early 1980s serving only three students with disabilities. It has since grown to serving some 150 students on campus today. Any Weekend, graduate, or undergraduate student is eligible to use the CLASS program services. At the moment, students with ADD/ADHD, learning disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, traumatic brain injury, and students with Autism all use the CLASS office for additional help.

All students that use the CLASS services attend normal classes on campus. Meanwhile, the CLASS office provides accommodations in the form of scanned exams, extended-time exams, note takers in class, recorded/electronic textbooks, and access to adaptive technology to students with disabilities.

The CLASS staff includes four Augsburg employees who are all experienced in serving students with disabilities. All staff members have relatively reasonable caseloads of some 30-40 students and have weekly meetings with their students. Small caseloads allow for on-going relationships and personable communication through professor, staff and student. It is just one example of Augsburg's promise to provide the best learning experience possible to all its students.